TO celebrate National Storytelling Week, North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has teamed up with a number of critically-acclaimed authors for a week of readings and activities.

Keep your eyes peeled as each day until and including Saturday, a new storytelling-themed post on NYMR’s social channels will reveal fun activities.

These activities include including a railway-inspired short story writing session and an exclusive reading by Chris Vine from an excerpt of his charming series of children’s train books, Peter’s Railway.

There will also be videos from the likes of Yorkshire-born Andrew Martin, author of a series of railway-themed detective novels.

In addition, North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Paul Middleton, also known as ‘Piglet’, will be reading a bedtime story at 4pm today.

Paul started work at the NYMR in December 1996, at the tender age of 16, after he finished school.

Paul was nicknamed ‘Piglet’ by Mike Smith, a now retired welder, whose grandson had put a small plastic Piglet figure in Paul’s lunch box. Mike commented that Paul looked a little bit like Piglet, and the nickname has stuck ever since.

To get involved in NYMR’s Storytelling Week, follow the team on their Twitter or Facebook accounts.

To purchase railway-inspired novels and other books, visit: www.nymr.co.uk/book-week

The North York Moors Historical Railway Trust is a not-for profit charitable organisation run as part of the local community. Day to day operation is carried out by volunteers with railway operations and business experience.

There are a number of ways you can support the NYMR, which has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic as it has been forced to close to meet Government regulations during the third national lockdown.

You can make a one-off donation on the website, join the NYMR membership scheme, purchase items on their online shop, join the weekly ‘Club 900’ raffle or even set up a direct debit with them to make regular donations.